Conveyer



Dec. 8, 1931.' w, J, TAYLOR 1,835,823

cONvEYER Fild Sept. 19. 1927 2 Sheetsf-Sheet llIliff/[111111111111111lll/111,111,111r1lllrrlflllzllllllrlll. 11, r

. J. TAYLOR CONVEYER Filed Sept. 19, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 `PatentedDee. s, 1931 UNITED STATI-:s

PATENT 'OFF:ci?. 4

WILLIAM J'. TAYLOR, 0I' WINTHBOP HARBOR, ILLINOIS,' ASSIGNOB T0 THBcomm, or sYaAcUsE, NEW Yoax, A CORPORATION or nssacirusmscommm lApplication tiled September 19, 1927. Serial No. 220,445.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inconveyers.

Where it is desirable to deflect or shunt boxes or containers from amain conveyer on to a branch track, slding or other conveyer,

particularly in connection with gravity conveyers, the rolls of thegravity conveyer which are arranged-with their axes at right angles tothe direction of movement of containers passing along the main -tracktend along the main conveyer, such turning movement of the rolls beingactuated by the moving containers themselves and as a result conformingsubstantially to the direct-ion of movement of the containers passinginto the branch track whereby any substantial resistance to thedeflection of the container from the main conveyer is practicallyeliminated.

A further object resides in the provision of means for normallymaintaining the rolls .or rollers with their axes perpendicular to thedirection of movement of containers along the main conveyer and forreturning the rolls or rollers to such position after any shiftingmovement so that normally they will not frictionally resist the freemovement of containers along the main conveyer.

@ther objects and advantages relates to the details of the structure andthe parts thereof,

all as will more fully appear from the following description, taken inconnection with the Figure 4 is a sectional view takenoniline" 4 4,Figure 1. v

Figure 5 is a sectional view through one of the rollers and itssupporting mechanism.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of one of the rollers and its supportingmechanism.

The apparatus of this invention is adapted for many and variousassociations and for the purpose of illustration is here shown'asa.section of a main conveying apparatus.

As shown the gravity conveyer indicated.

generally at -1- is interposed between two belt conveyers -2- and--respectively which may be of any usual and ordinary construction andit will be apparent that vthe interposition of the gravity conveyer'ofthis invention between two belt conveyers is merely for the purpose-ofillustrating one practical useof the invention.

The gravity conveyer -1- may consist of any suitable frame-work 4including a tloor or bottom wall -5- and.an overhead" -frame -6-carrying a vplurality of deflecting bars -7- forming guide-ways for apupose to be hereinafter described.

P0 A mounted a plurality of rolls or rollers -8- upon which a containersuch as the illustrated at 9"- is adapted to move `forwardly due tothefact that the contact surface de- [ined by the rolls inclines downwardlyfrom the conveyer -2- to the conveyer -3- and this inclination may beeasily effected by supporting the bottom wall or iloor -5- in suchinclined position.

Ordinarily the conveyer rolls have been supported upon stationary axesdisposed at right angles to the direction of movementfof containers -9-along the conveyer and as before suggested such disposition of the rollsfrictionally resists their movement into a branch or siding 10- disposedat one side of the main conveyer and, for the purpose of eliminatingthis resistance and permitt free and easy movement of the containersinto a branch conveyer or siding, a number of comparatively narrow rolls-8- are' utilized at least for the contact surfaces at. the end of thegravity conveyer over which the containers must first move in passinginto the branch and these rolls are separately mounted for free movementin shifting their axes at various angles to thev direction of movementof containers along the main track 6 `so that the rolls may conformtheir direction of rotation to substantially the direction of movemet'ofa container passing into the branch -10, v-such shifting of their axesof rotation to various angles with respect to lo the direction ofmovement `of a container along the main conveyer being effected by themovement of the container itself in turnin and moving into the branch10.

twill be apparent that these rolls may 155l be mounted in various andmany manners and by various structure to permit free shifting movementof their axes as actuated by a moving container and for the purpose ofillustration thereI is shown a mounting for such rolls 2o which issatisfactory for the purpose.

in the opposite arms -13- and I4- of a yoke '-15-, the bottom wall ofwhich may be secured in any suitable manner as by rivets to a disk-16-constituting one member 'of a ball-retainer, the other member ofwhich may be in the form of an annular convex ring -17- having asubstantially flat flange -19- secured to a plate 20 connected to thebase or bottom wall 5 in any suitable manner as by bolts -22.

85 Balls -23- are disposed between the one member -16- and the othermember -17- of the bearing.

The disk 1G- is separated froml the plate -20- by a suitable ballbearing -24- so that the disk i6-may freely rotate between the balls-25- and the balls -23- but is restrained from other movement.

In order to maintain the rolls -8- with their shafts l1- normallydisposed at right angles to the direction of movement of containersalong the main track while permittingcomparatively free and easy angularshiftin movement of said axes a spring -26- as one end connected to apost '27- rising from and connected to the bottom wall -5-, the otherend of the spring being connected in any suitable manner to the yoke-15, this position of the parts being such that after any angularshifting movement of the axis of a roll -8- its respective spring -26-returns it to a normal position with its axis perpendicular to thedirection of movement of containers along the main track.

For the purpose of dellecting containers I0 into a predeterminedselected branch track,

such containers, as best illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, are formed atthe upper portion of their front and rear ends with a series oflaterally disposed holes or sockets -29 for l5 the reception of a guidepin 3()-.

These sockets conform in number with the guideways bet-Ween the deiectinbars -7- and by placing pins -30- in esired sockets so that they willpass between selected deflecting plates the container when' it reachesthe gravity conveyer -1 will be guided by the deflectino plates and the-pins so as to pass into a predetermined branch track and as illustratedthe guideways for each branch track as formed by the delecting bars -7-,extend in proper disposition above each branch track -10- so as to guidethe container properly into the branch track, the container itselfshifting the rolls 8 so that their direction of rotation issubstantially the same as the direction of movement of the container.

The rolls -3l in the branch track may be mounted upon fixed axesproperly inclined and disposed to permit free movement of the containersinto the branch track without substantial frictional resistance.

This invention is not concerned with any further disposition of thecontainers after they have been deflected into a branch track but inFigure 4 there is illustrated a belt conveyer 32- adapted to receivecontainers deflected into the branch track l0- At the discharge end ofthe gravity conveyer -l-- and beyond the point where the containers inmoving into the branch track l0- will contactwith the rolls it ispossible to make the rolls of the same width as the conveyer and tomount them upon Xed axes as illustrated at -33-.

1t is, however, desirable as shown to have all of the rolls over whichthe container moves along the main track and n'to a branch track somounted that their axes of rotation may be shifted by a container tosubstantially conform with the direction of movement of the containerand although there is shown a specific structure together with aparticular form, association and relation of the parts thereof, I do notdesire to restrict myself to any particular association of a gravityconveyer or to the details of the structure shown or the form andrelation of the parts thereof as various changes and modiiications maybe made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forthin the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A conveyer comprising a main conveyer portion and a branch portionleading therefrom, means for deilecting articles transported by the mainconveyer portion to the branch portion, said main conveyer portionincluding a plurality of rotatable rolls the plane of rotation whereofis controlled by the passage of articles thereover and variable therebyto conform to the direction of movement of an article passing from themain conveyer portionl into Athe branch portion, and means forautomatically returning the rolls to a ticle passing from the mainconveyer portion into the branch portion, and means for automaticallyreturning the rolls to a posi-` tion with their axes substantiallyperpendicular to the direction of movement of an article passing alongthe main conveyer portion after each shifting movement.

3. A conveyer comprising a main conveyer portion and a branch portionleading therefrom, said main conveyer portion including a roll, a yokein which the roll is journaled, and means for rotatably supporting theyoke, and a spring connected to the yoke and tending normally tomaintain the yoke in predetermined position.

a. A conveyer comprising a power driven conveyer, a second power drivenconveyer,-

a gravity roller conveyer connecting said power driven conveyers, aplurality of rotatable rolls capable of shifting their axes of rotationin said gravity roller conveyer, and a branch gravity roller conveyeriii communication ivith the gravity roller conveyer.

5. A conveyer comprising a main conveyer portion and a branch portionleading there- -from, said main conveyer portion including a. pluralityof rotatable rolls capable of automatically varying their plane ofrotation to conform to the direction of movement of an article passingfrom the main conveyer portion into the branch portion, a plurality offixed deiiectors above the main track, and means on an article beingconveyed Jfor engaging a selected deiector whereby the articlebeingconveyed will be deiected from the main conveyer portion into aselected branch conveyer portion.

6. A conveyer comprisin a main conveyer portion and a branch portionleading therefrom, said main conveyer portion including a plurality ofrotatable rolls capable of automatically vai-yin their plane of rotationto contorni to the irection of movement of an article passing from themain conveyer portion into the branch portion, means for automaticallyreturning the rolls to a position with their axes substantially' perndicularto the direction of movement oean article assing along the mainconveyer portion a ter each shifting movement, a plurality of lixeddeiectors above the main track, and means on an article being conveyedfor engaging a selected deflector whereby the artic e being conveyedwill be deiiected from the main conveyer portion into a selected branchconveyer portion.

v7. A conveyer comprising a main conveyer portion and a branch portionleading therefrom, means for defiecting certain articles transportedbyfthe main portion to the branch portion, said main conveyer portionincludlng a plurality of rotatable rolls having their axes normallysubstantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of an articleassin along the main conveyer portion and ing to vary their plane ofrotation by engagement of a. deflected article to conform to thedirection of movement of such article from the main conveyer portioninto the branch portion, and means for automatically returnin the rollsto the normal position after each shifting movement.

8. A conveyer comprising a main conveyer portion and a branch portionleading therefrom, means for deiecting certain articles transported bythe main portion to the branch portion, said main conveyer portionincludlng a plurality of rotatable rolls having their axes normallysubstantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of an articlepassing along the main conveyer ortion and being free to vary theirplane o rotation independently of each other by engagement of adeflected article to conform to the direction of movement of sucharticle from the main conveyer portion into the branch portion, andmeans for automatically returning the rolls to the normal position aftereach shifting movement.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day ofSeptember, 1927.

WILLIAM J. TAYLOR.

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